Former Dothan football coach Charlie McCall dies

No nonsense, firm, fair and perfectionist, yet down to earth and genuine.

Those were some of the descriptions from two former Dothan players about coach Charles (Charlie) McCall on Wednesday.

McCall, a former head football coach at Dothan High and at Houston Academy, died Wednesday at South Alabama Medical Center in Dothan after a brief illness. He was 86.

Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced today.

McCall guided Dothan High’s program from 1963-70, leading the Tigers to a 46-31-2 record. The era was highlighted by 9-1 seasons in both 1964 and 1965.

He was also head coach at Houston Academy on an interim basis in 1983 and the Raiders went 3-7.

McCall, who grew up in the Covington County area of Rose Hill and attended Straughn schools, also coached at Louisville High School (1950) and Georgiana (1951-54) before coming to Dothan High as an assistant coach. He served in that capacity before becoming head coach in 1963.

He was a longtime educator at Dothan and Houston Academy, primarily teaching drivers education. He was also a former football letterman at Troy State University from 1947-49.

In addition, McCall was a World War II vet, serving as a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division. He was involved in the Southern France invasions and the Battle of the Bulge among other WWII operations. He also participated in the war in North Africa and Italy.

“He is definitely a loss for the city of Dothan,” said Harry Wayne Parrish, who played under McCall in 1963-65 and later was a fellow teacher with McCall at Dothan High. “Anybody that played for coach McCall would say the same thing. He was a great person. He was part of the great generation, involved in World War II. It was an honor for me to play for him.”

“He was a genuine person — so easy going and a nice guy,” added Hank Kennedy, who played under McCall in 1963-64.

On the field, McCall was known for demanding perfection from his players.

“He would make you do plays over and over,” Parrish said. “You had to run it right.”

Though tough, Kennedy said McCall had a lot of respect for his players. At the same time, he expected respect from the players.

“He was a players’ coach,” Kennedy said. “He was firm, but fair.

“He didn’t put up with any nonsense, but he got along with the players.”

Parrish echoed Kennedy’s comments.

“He was a no nonsense, down to earth guy and a disciplined coach,” Parrish said. “He coached like World War II, but you loved it and you respected him so much. He didn’t cuss or use any bad words, but he had your attention, too.”

Bobby Sirmon, who was an assistant coach under McCall while at Dothan and later followed him as head coach of the Tigers in 1971, also felt McCall’s desire to have things done right, along with his passion for kids, made him a special coach.

“Charlie was a good coach and he cared about the kids,” Sirmon said. “He wanted them to do everything just right. He was on top of everything.”
Sirmon said McCall was a major reason he became a coach.

“He coached me in high school when he came to Georgiana,” Sirmon said. “I played in the ninth, 10th and 11th grade for him. When he became head coach at Dothan, he called me over.”

Sirmon said he was honored to follow McCall as a head coach.

“It was an honor to take his place and I really enjoyed him,” Sirmon said. “He was well-liked by all the players and the parents of the players.”

Parrish and Kennedy, who both became coaches in their careers, said it wasn’t uncommon for McCall to keep up with his former players later in life.

“He came to a lot of my games at Early County and Northview and that meant a lot to me,” Parrish said.

“He was a special person to me,” Kennedy said. “He came to several of my games when I was at Elba.”

Both Parrish and Kennedy said a lot of what they learned from McCall carried over into their coaching careers.

“I learned a lot from him,” Parrish said. “He was wise and he taught me no matter what offense you ran, you have to have a dive play. Every offense I ran, I had a dive play. He was right, every offense has to have a dive play and it still applies today.”

Off the field, McCall was just as important, said Parrish.

“He had as much of an impact on my life as my daddy,” Parrish said. “He and Rip Hewes basically helped raise me.”

Current Houston Academy and former Dothan head coach Jimmy Addison got to know McCall after hiring McCall’s son Chuck, first at Dothan and now at Houston Academy.

“He was stubborn and hard-headed, but he was a fighter and that was evident to the end,” Addison said.

Addison said the two didn’t talk specifics of football a lot, but did so in general terms.

“He was like me in that he believed blocking and tackling and being fundamentally sound were what you had to do to be successful,” Addison said.

Addison also recalled a specific special memory of McCall.

“Mr. Charlie would come and watch practice a lot and I had him come in for one game — I don’t remember which game it was — but I had him come in and give a pre-game talk in the locker room,” Addison said. “That was special to me and I think it was special to him. He was so appreciative of that.”